Phonetics, Phonology, and Morphology Flashcards
what is competence in speech?
“hidden” knowledge of language as speakers, can’t articulate the rules, stored in lexicon and mental grammar, can’t directly be observed
what is performance in speech?
actual production and comprehension of language, may include errors, CAN be directly observed
all communication systems have what?
modality and semanticity
what is modality?
how information is encoded
what is semanticity?
symbols have meaning
what is interchangeability?
an individual can both transmit and receive a message
what is arbitrariness?
the connection between a symbol and its meaning is arbitrary (doesn’t have to be how it is)
what is discreetness?
language is made of individual units that can be rearranged
some communication systems have what?
interchangeability, arbitrariness, and discreetness
what is displacement?
the ability to communicate about things that are not immediately around
what is productivity?
the ability to communicate about new things that have not yet been communicated
ONLY human language has what two communication qualities?
displacement and productivity
what is the attempted definition of langauge?
communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, signs, or written symbols, which can be combined productively and creatively
what is the central goal of linguists?
to understand the contents of out mental grammar and lexicons
how do linguists understand the contents of mental grammar and lexicons?
the scientific method, observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, analysis
what is descriptive grammar?
a systematic accounting of how the language IS USED and the rules that speakers follow (not how it SHOULD be)
true or false: there is right and wrong in language
false
what is phonetics?
the study of the basic units of language associated to modality
what are the basic units of signed and spoken languages?
signed: location, movement, handshape, orientation
spoken: sounds
what is articulatory phonetics?
transcribing and describing the production of speech sounds
what is the difference between consonants and vowels?
consonants are produced by partially or completely occluding airflow through the vocal tract while vowels are produced without an occlusion and only are differentiated by the shape of the vocal tract
what are some examples of suprasegmental features?
stress, tone, length, intonation
what are voiced sounds?
the vocal folds are closed and vibrate as air passes through
what are voiceless sounds?
the vocal chords are open allowing air to pass through freely
what is an oral stop?
the complete occlusion of the airstream through the oral cavity from the active articulator touching the passive articulator and sealing the vocal tract
what is a plosive?
a stop with a burst of air upon the release of the consonant [p, k]
what is a fricative?
a near-complete occlusion of the vocal tract, resulting in turbulent, hissing airflow [f, ð]
what is an affricate?
begins with the occlusion of airflow followed by an initial stop and fricative release [d͡ʒ, t͡ʃ]
what is a nasal?
air flowing through the nasal cavity, while the oral cavity is fully occluded [n, ŋ]
what is an approximant?
the active articulator approaches the passive articulator but DOESN’T occlude the air enough to cause turbulent airflow
what is a lateral?
movement of air around the tongue (type of approximant)
what are glides?
type of approximant that is a consonant that is articulated like a vowel [j, w]
what is a syllabic consonant?
a consonant that is the nucleus of the syllable - no vowel attached to it
what are the four features used to differentiate vowels?
height, front/backness, roundedness, tense/laxness
what is vowel height?
how high or low the tongue is in the mouth